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Poplin T, Ironside M, Kuplicki R, Aupperle RL, Guinjoan SM, Khalsa SS, Stewart JL, Victor TA, Paulus MP, Kirlic N. The unique face of comorbid anxiety and depression: Increased frontal, insula and cingulate cortex response during Pavlovian fear-conditioning. J Affect Disord 2024; 366:98-105. [PMID: 39187192 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 08/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysregulation of fear processing through altered sensitivity to threat is thought to contribute to the development of anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, fewer studies have examined fear processing in MDD than in anxiety disorders. The current study used propensity matching to examine the hypothesis that comorbid MDD and anxiety (AnxMDD) shows greater neural correlates of fear processing than MDD, suggesting that the co-occurrence of AnxMDD is exemplified by exaggerated defense related processes. METHODS 195 individuals with MDD (N = 65) or AnxMDD (N = 130) were recruited from the community and completed multi-level assessments, including a Pavlovian fear learning task during functional imaging. Visual images paired with threat (conditioned stimuli: CS+) were compared to stimuli not paired with threat (CS-). RESULTS MDD and AnxMDD showed significantly different patterns of activation for CS+ vs CS- in the dorsal anterior insula/inferior frontal gyrus (partial eta squared; ηp2 = 0.02), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (ηp2 = 0.01) and dorsal anterior/mid cingulate cortex (ηp2 = 0.01). These differences were driven by greater activation to the CS+ in AnxMDD versus MDD. LIMITATIONS Limitations include the cross-sectional design, a scream US rather than shock and half the number of MDD as AnxMDD participants. CONCLUSIONS AnxMDD showed a pattern of increased activation in regions identified with fear processing. Effects were consistently driven by threat, further suggesting fear signaling as the emergent target process. Differences emerged in regions associated with salience processing, attentional orienting/conflict, self-relevant processing and executive functioning in comorbid anxiety and depression, thereby highlighting potential treatment targets for this prevalent and treatment resistant group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tate Poplin
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Maria Ironside
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA; University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA.
| | - Rayus Kuplicki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Robin L Aupperle
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA; University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Salvador M Guinjoan
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA; University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Sahib S Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jennifer L Stewart
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA; University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Teresa A Victor
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Martin P Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA; University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Namik Kirlic
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
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Moallem BI, Wen Z, Hammoud MZ, Su W, Pace-Schott EF, Milad MR. Impact of trauma type on neural mechanisms of threat conditioning and its extinction. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 178:50-58. [PMID: 39121707 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Trauma type moderates the impact of trauma exposure on clinical symptomatology; however, the impact of trauma type on the neural correlates of emotion regulation is not as well understood. This study examines how violent and nonviolent trauma differentially influence the neural correlates of conditioned fear and extinction. We aggregated psychophysiological and fMRI data from three studies; we categorized reported trauma as violent or nonviolent, and subdivided violent trauma as sexual or nonsexual. We examined skin conductance responses (SCR) during a fear conditioning and extinction paradigm. For fMRI data analyses, we conducted region-specific and whole-brain analyses. We examined associations between beta weights from specific brain regions and CAPS scores. The group exposed to violent trauma showed significantly higher SCR during extinction recall. Those exposed to nonviolent trauma showed significantly higher functional activation during late extinction learning. The group exposed to violent trauma showed higher functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) and between the DMN and frontoparietal control network. For secondary analyses of sexual vs nonsexual trauma, we did not observe any between-group differences in SCR. During late extinction learning, the group exposed to sexual trauma showed significantly higher activation in the prefrontal cortex and precuneus. During extinction recall, the group exposed to nonsexual trauma showed significantly higher activation in the insular cortex. Violent trauma significantly impacts functional brain activations and connectivity in brain areas important for perception and attention with no significant impact on brain areas that modulate emotion regulation. Sexual trauma impacts brain areas important for internal perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Isabel Moallem
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, 77054, USA
| | - Zhenfu Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, 77054, USA
| | - Mira Z Hammoud
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, 77054, USA
| | - Wenjun Su
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Edward F Pace-Schott
- Sleep and Anxiety Disorders Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, 77054, USA.
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Brouillard A, Davignon LM, Vachon-Presseau É, Roy M, Marin MF. Starting the pill during adolescence: Age of onset and duration of use influence morphology of the hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Eur J Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39245916 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
From adolescence, women become more likely to experience fear dysregulation. Oral contraceptives (OCs) can modulate the brain regions involved in fear processes. OCs are generally used for years and often initiated during adolescence, a sensitive period where certain brain regions involved in the fear circuitry are still undergoing important reorganization. It remains unknown whether OC use during adolescence may induce long-lasting changes in the fear circuitry. This study aimed to examine whether age of onset moderated the relationship between duration of use and fear-related brain structures. We collected structural MRI data in 98 healthy adult women (61 current users, 37 past users) and extracted grey matter volumes (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT) of key regions of the fear circuitry. Non-linear multiple regressions revealed interaction effects between age of onset and quadratic duration of use on GMV of the right hippocampus and right ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Among women who initiated OCs earlier in adolescence, a short duration of use was associated with smaller hippocampal GMV and thicker vmPFC compared to a longer duration of use. For both GMV and CT of the right vmPFC, women with an early OC onset had more grey matter at a short duration of use than those with a later onset. Our results suggest that OC use earlier in adolescence may induce lasting effects on structural correlates of fear learning and its regulation. These findings support further investigation into the timing of OC use to better comprehend how OCs could disrupt normal brain development processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Brouillard
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lisa-Marie Davignon
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Étienne Vachon-Presseau
- Department of Anesthesia, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mathieu Roy
- Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-France Marin
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Morriss J, Biagi N, Wake S. Quantification choices for individual differences: An example of mapping self-report to psychophysiological responses. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 205:112427. [PMID: 39218250 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
A popular focus in affective neuroscience research has been to map the relationships between individual differences (e.g. personality and environmental experiences) and psychophysiological responses, in order to further understand the effect of individual differences upon neurobehavioral systems that support affect and arousal. Despite this trend, there have been a lack of practical examples demonstrating how the quantification of individual differences (e.g. categorical or continuous) impacts the observed relationships between different units of analysis (e.g. self-report > psychophysiological responses). To address this gap, we conducted a two-stage aggregated meta-analysis of self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and skin conductance responses during threat extinction (k = 18, n = 1006) using different quantification choices for individual differences in self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (continuous, categorical via median split, and categorical via extremes - one standard deviation above/below). Results from the meta-analyses revealed that the different quantification techniques produced some consistent (e.g. higher IU was significantly associated with skin conductance responding during late extinction training) and inconsistent IU-related effects. Furthermore, the number of statistically significant effects and effect sizes varied based on the quantification of individual differences in IU (e.g. categorical, compared to continuous was associated with more statistically significant effects, and larger effect sizes). The current study highlights how conducting different quantification methods for individual differences may help researchers understand the individual difference construct of interest (e.g. characterisation, measurement), as well as examine the stability and reliability of individual difference-based effects and correspondence between various units of analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayne Morriss
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, UK.
| | - Nicolo Biagi
- Henley Business School, Business Informatics Systems and Accounting, Informatics Research Centre, University of Reading, UK
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Cooper SE, Hennings AC, Bibb SA, Lewis-Peacock JA, Dunsmoor JE. Semantic structures facilitate threat memory integration throughout the medial temporal lobe and medial prefrontal cortex. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3522-3536.e5. [PMID: 39059393 PMCID: PMC11303100 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Emotional experiences can profoundly impact our conceptual model of the world, modifying how we represent and remember a host of information even indirectly associated with that experienced in the past. Yet, how a new emotional experience infiltrates and spreads across pre-existing semantic knowledge structures (e.g., categories) is unknown. We used a modified aversive sensory preconditioning paradigm in fMRI (n = 35) to investigate whether threat memories integrate with a pre-established category to alter the representation of the entire category. We observed selective but transient changes in the representation of conceptually related items in the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and occipitotemporal cortex following threat conditioning to a simple cue (geometric shape) pre-associated with a different, but related, set of category exemplars. These representational changes persisted beyond 24 h in the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex. Reactivation of the semantic category during threat conditioning, combined with activation of the hippocampus or medial prefrontal cortex, was predictive of subsequent amygdala reactivity toward novel category members at test. This provides evidence for online integration of emotional experiences into semantic categories, which then promotes threat generalization. Behaviorally, threat conditioning by proxy selectively and retroactively enhanced recognition memory and increased the perceived typicality of the semantic category indirectly associated with threat. These findings detail a complex route through which new emotional learning generalizes by modifying semantic structures built up over time and stored in memory as conceptual knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel E Cooper
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | | | - Sophia A Bibb
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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de Nooij L, Wirz L, Heling E, Pais M, Hendriks GJ, Verkes RJ, Roozendaal B, Hermans EJ. Exogenous glucocorticoids to improve extinction learning for post-traumatic stress disorder patients with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis dysregulation: a study protocol description. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2024; 15:2364441. [PMID: 38973398 PMCID: PMC11232644 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2364441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Trauma-focused treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are effective for many patients. However, relapse may occur when acquired extinction memories fail to generalize beyond treatment contexts. A subgroup of PTSD patients - potentially with substantial exposure to early-life adversity (ELA) - show dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which results in lower cortisol levels. Glucocorticoids, including cortisol, appear to facilitate strength and generalization of emotional memories.Objective: We describe the protocol of an integrated PTSD study. We investigate (A) associations between HPA-axis dysregulation, ELA, epigenetic markers, and PTSD treatment outcome (observational study); and (B) effects of exogenous glucocorticoids on strength and generalization of extinction memories and associated neural mechanisms [pharmacological intervention study with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)]. The objective is to provide proof of concept that PTSD patients with HPA-axis dysregulation often experienced ELA and may show improved strength and generalization of extinction learning after glucocorticoid administration.Method: The observational study (n = 160 PTSD group, n = 30 control group) assesses ELA, follow-up PTSD symptoms, epigenetic markers, and HPA-axis characteristics (salivary cortisol levels during low-dose dexamethasone suppression test and socially evaluated cold-pressor test). The pharmacological intervention study (n = 80 PTSD group, with and without HPA-axis dysregulation) is a placebo-controlled fMRI study with a crossover design. To investigate strength and generalization of extinction memories, we use a differential fear acquisition, extinction, and extinction recall task with spatial contexts within a virtual environment. Prior to extinction learning, 20 mg hydrocortisone or placebo is administered. During next-day recall, strength of the extinction memory is determined by recovery of skin conductance and pupil dilation differential responding, whereas generalization is assessed by comparing responses between different spatial contexts.Conclusion: The integrated study described in the current protocol paper could inform a personalized treatment approach in which these PTSD patients may receive glucocorticoids as a treatment enhancer in trauma-focused therapies.Trial registration: The research project is registered in the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials (EudraCT) database, https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/, EudraCT number 2020-000712-30.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura de Nooij
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lisa Wirz
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Emma Heling
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mariana Pais
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gert-Jan Hendriks
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- ‘Overwaal’ Center of Expertise for Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders, Institution for Integrated Mental Health Care “Pro Persona”, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Robbert-Jan Verkes
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Kairos Forensic Care, Pompestichting, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Benno Roozendaal
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Erno J. Hermans
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Ma Y, Jiao F, Batsikadze G, Yavari F, Nitsche MA. The impact of the left inferior frontal gyrus on fear extinction: A transcranial direct current stimulation study. Brain Stimul 2024; 17:816-825. [PMID: 38997105 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2024.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Fear extinction is a fundamental component of exposure-based therapies for anxiety-related disorders. The renewal of fear in a different context after extinction highlights the importance of contextual factors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the causal role of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LiFG) in the context-dependency of fear extinction learning via administration of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over this area. METHODS 180 healthy subjects were assigned to 9 groups: 3 tDCS conditions (anodal, cathodal, and sham) × 3 context combinations (AAA, ABA, and ABB). The fear conditioning/extinction task was conducted over three consecutive days: acquisition, extinction learning, and extinction recall. tDCS (2 mA, 10min) was administered during the extinction learning phase over the LiFG via a 4-electrode montage. Skin conductance response (SCR) data and self-report assessments were collected. RESULTS During the extinction learning phase, groups with excitability-enhancing anodal tDCS showed a significantly higher fear response to the threat cues compared to cathodal and sham stimulation conditions, irrespective of contextual factors. This effect was stable until the extinction recall phase. Additionally, excitability-reducing cathodal tDCS caused a significant decrease of the response difference between the threat and safety cues during the extinction recall phase. The self-report assessments showed no significant differences between the conditions throughout the experiment. CONCLUSION Independent of the context, excitability enhancement of the LiFG did impair fear extinction, and led to preservation of fear memory. In contrast, excitability reduction of this area enhanced fear extinction retention. These findings imply that the LiFG plays a role in the fear extinction network, which seems to be however context-independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanbo Ma
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany; Department of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Fujia Jiao
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany; Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Giorgi Batsikadze
- Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen, 45147, Germany
| | - Fatemeh Yavari
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany; Bielefeld University, University Hospital OWL, Protestant Hospital of Bethel Foundation, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bielefeld, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Bochum, Germany.
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Sun J, Zhang B, Xu W, Li P, Zhang D, Zhao B, Wang Z, Wang B. Effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for insomnia disorder on fear memory extinction: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials 2024; 25:396. [PMID: 38898471 PMCID: PMC11186137 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-024-08198-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fear memory extinction is closely related to insomnia. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is safe and effective for treating insomnia disorder (ID), and it has been shown to be an efficient method for modulating fear extinction. However, whether rTMS can improve fear extinction memory in ID patients remains to be studied. In this study, we specifically aim to (1) show that 1 Hz rTMS stimulation could improve fear extinction memory in ID patients and (2) examine whether changes in sleep mediate this impact. METHODS AND DESIGN We propose a parallel group randomised controlled trial of 62 ID participants who meet the inclusion criteria. Participants will be assigned to a real rTMS group or a sham rTMS group. The allocation ratio will be 1:1, with 31 subjects in each group. Interventions will be administered five times per week over a 4-week period. The assessments will take place at baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 4), and 8-week follow-up (week 8). The primary outcome measure of this study will be the mean change in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores from baseline to post-intervention at week 4. The secondary outcome measures include the mean change in skin conductance response (SCR), fear expectation during fear extinction, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). DISCUSSION This study will be the first examination of the impact of rTMS on fear memory extinction in ID patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trials Register ChiCTR2300076097. Registered on 25 September 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Sun
- Zhenjiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001, China
| | - Bidan Zhang
- Zhenjiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001, China
| | - Wenyue Xu
- Zhenjiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001, China
| | - Panpan Li
- Zhenjiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001, China
| | - Danwei Zhang
- Zhenjiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001, China
| | - Bei Zhao
- Zhenjiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001, China
| | - Zhoubing Wang
- Zhenjiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001, China
| | - Bin Wang
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China.
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100191, China.
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Li W, Wilson DA. Threat Memory in the Sensory Cortex: Insights from Olfaction. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:285-293. [PMID: 36703569 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221148994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala has long held the center seat in the neural basis of threat conditioning. However, a rapidly growing literature has elucidated extra-amygdala circuits in this process, highlighting the sensory cortex for its critical role in the mnemonic aspect of the process. While this literature is largely focused on the auditory system, substantial human and rodent findings on the olfactory system have emerged. The unique nature of the olfactory neuroanatomy and its intimate association with emotion compels a review of this recent literature to illuminate its special contribution to threat memory. Here, integrating recent evidence in humans and animal models, we posit that the olfactory (piriform) cortex is a primary and necessary component of the distributed threat memory network, supporting mnemonic ensemble coding of acquired threat. We further highlight the basic circuit architecture of the piriform cortex characterized by distributed, auto-associative connections, which is prime for highly efficient content-addressable memory computing to support threat memory. Given the primordial role of the piriform cortex in cortical evolution and its simple, well-defined circuits, we propose that olfaction can be a model system for understanding (transmodal) sensory cortical mechanisms underlying threat memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Li
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Donald A Wilson
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
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Lanters LR, Öhlmann H, Langhorst J, Theysohn N, Engler H, Icenhour A, Elsenbruch S. Disease-specific alterations in central fear network engagement during acquisition and extinction of conditioned interoceptive fear in inflammatory bowel disease. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02612-7. [PMID: 38802508 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02612-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Interoceptive fear, which is shaped by associative threat learning and memory processes, plays a central role in abnormal interoception and psychiatric comorbidity in conditions of the gut-brain axis. Although animal and human studies support that acute inflammation induces brain alterations in the central fear network, mechanistic knowledge in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions remains sparse. We implemented a translational fear conditioning paradigm to elucidate central fear network reactivity in patients with quiescent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), compared to patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy controls (HC). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, conditioned differential neural responses within regions of the fear network were analyzed during acquisition and extinction learning. In contrast to HC and IBS, IBD patients demonstrated distinctly altered engagement of key regions of the central fear network, including amygdala and hippocampus, during differential interoceptive fear learning, with more pronounced responses to conditioned safety relative to pain-predictive cues. Aberrant hippocampal responses correlated with chronic stress exclusively in IBD. During extinction, differential engagement was observed in IBD compared to IBS patients within amygdala, ventral anterior insula, and thalamus. No group differences were found in changes of cue valence as a behavioral measure of fear acquisition and extinction. Together, the disease-specific alterations in neural responses during interoceptive fear conditioning in quiescent IBD suggest persisting effects of recurring intestinal inflammation on central fear network reactivity. Given the crucial role of interoceptive fear in abnormal interoception, these findings point towards inflammation-related brain alterations as one trajectory to bodily symptom chronicity and psychiatric comorbidity. Patients with inflammatory conditions of the gut-brain axis may benefit from tailored treatment approaches targeting maladaptive interoceptive fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R Lanters
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Hanna Öhlmann
- Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Jost Langhorst
- Department for Internal and Integrative Medicine, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
- Department for Integrative Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nina Theysohn
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Harald Engler
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Adriane Icenhour
- Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sigrid Elsenbruch
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
- Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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11
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Zhao X, Wu S, Li X, Liu Z, Lu W, Lin K, Shao R. Common neural deficits across reward functions in major depression: a meta-analysis of fMRI studies. Psychol Med 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38777630 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291724001235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by deficient reward functions in the brain. However, existing findings on functional alterations during reward anticipation, reward processing, and learning among MDD patients are inconsistent, and it was unclear whether a common reward system implicated in multiple reward functions is altered in MDD. Here we meta-analyzed 18 past studies that compared brain reward functions between adult MDD patients (N = 477, mean age = 26.50 years, female = 59.40%) and healthy controls (N = 506, mean age = 28.11 years, females = 55.58%), and particularly examined group differences across multiple reward functions. Jack-knife sensitivity and subgroup meta-analyses were conducted to test robustness of findings across patient comorbidity, task paradigm, and reward nature. Meta-regression analyses assessed the moderating effect of patient symptom severity and anhedonia scores. We found during reward anticipation, MDD patients showed lower activities in the lateral prefrontal-thalamus circuitry. During reward processing, patients displayed reduced activities in the right striatum and prefrontal cortex, but increased activities in the left temporal cortex. During reward learning, patients showed reduced activity in the lateral prefrontal-thalamic-striatal circuitry and the right parahippocampal-occipital circuitry but higher activities in bilateral cerebellum and the left visual cortex. MDD patients showed decreased activity in the right thalamus during both reward anticipation and learning, and in the right caudate during both reward processing and learning. Larger functional changes in MDD were observed among patients with more severe symptoms and higher anhedonia levels. The thalamic-striatal circuitry functional alterations could be the key neural mechanism underlying MDD patients overarching reward function deficiencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanhao Zhao
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Shiyun Wu
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Xian Li
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Zhongwan Liu
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Weicong Lu
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Kangguang Lin
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Robin Shao
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
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12
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Cisler JM, Dunsmoor JE, Privratsky AA, James GA. Decoding neural reactivation of threat during fear learning, extinction, and recall in a randomized clinical trial of L-DOPA among women with PTSD. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1091-1101. [PMID: 37807886 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Laboratory paradigms are widely used to study fear learning in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent basic science models demonstrate that, during fear learning, patterns of activity in large neuronal ensembles for the conditioned stimuli (CS) begin to reinstate neural activity patterns for the unconditioned stimuli (US), suggesting a direct way of quantifying fear memory strength for the CS. Here, we translate this concept to human neuroimaging and test the impact of post-learning dopaminergic neurotransmission on fear memory strength during fear acquisition, extinction, and recall among women with PTSD in a re-analysis of previously reported data. METHODS Participants (N = 79) completed a context-dependent fear acquisition and extinction task on day 1 and extinction recall tests 24 h later. We decoded activity patterns in large-scale functional networks for the US, then applied this decoder to activity patterns toward the CS on day 1 and day 2. RESULTS US decoder output for the CS+ increased during acquisition and decreased during extinction in networks traditionally implicated in human fear learning. The strength of US neural reactivation also predicted individuals skin conductance responses. Participants randomized to receive L-DOPA (n = 43) following extinction on day 1 demonstrated less US neural reactivation on day 2 relative to the placebo group (n = 28). CONCLUSION These results support neural reactivation as a measure of memory strength between competing memories of threat and safety and further demonstrate the role of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the consolidation of fear extinction memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh M Cisler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - G Andrew James
- Brain Imaging Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
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13
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Wiemer J, Leimeister F, Gamer M, Pauli P. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex in response to threat omission is associated with subsequent explicit safety memory. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7378. [PMID: 38548770 PMCID: PMC10979006 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57432-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
In order to memorize and discriminate threatening and safe stimuli, the processing of the actual absence of threat seems crucial. Here, we measured brain activity with fMRI in response to both threat conditioned stimuli and their outcomes by combining threat learning with a subsequent memory paradigm. Participants (N = 38) repeatedly saw a variety of faces, half of which (CS+) were associated with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US) and half of which were not (CS-). When an association was later remembered, the hippocampus had been more active (than when forgotten). However, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex predicted subsequent memory specifically during safe associations (CS- and US omission responses) and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during outcomes in general (US and US omissions). In exploratory analyses of the theoretically important US omission, we found extended involvement of the medial prefrontal cortex and an enhanced functional connectivity to visual and somatosensory cortices, suggesting a possible function in sustaining sensory information for an integration with semantic memory. Activity in visual and somatosensory cortices together with the inferior frontal gyrus also predicted memory performance one week after learning. The findings imply the importance of a close interplay between prefrontal and sensory areas during the processing of safe outcomes-or 'nothing'-to establish declarative safety memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Wiemer
- Institute of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Franziska Leimeister
- Institute of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Gamer
- Institute of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Institute of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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14
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Feola B, Beermann A, Manzanarez Felix K, Coleman M, Bouix S, Holt DJ, Lewandowski KE, Öngür D, Breier A, Shenton ME, Heckers S, Brady RO, Blackford JU, Ward HB. Data-driven, connectome-wide analysis identifies psychosis-specific brain correlates of fear and anxiety. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02512-w. [PMID: 38503924 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02512-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Decades of psychosis research highlight the prevalence and the clinical significance of negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety. Translational evidence demonstrates the pivotal role of the amygdala in fear and anxiety. However, most of these approaches have used hypothesis-driven analyses with predefined regions of interest. A data-driven analysis may provide a complimentary, unbiased approach to identifying brain correlates of fear and anxiety. The aim of the current study was to identify the brain basis of fear and anxiety in early psychosis and controls using a data-driven approach. We analyzed data from the Human Connectome Project for Early Psychosis, a multi-site study of 125 people with psychosis and 58 controls with resting-state fMRI and clinical characterization. Multivariate pattern analysis of whole-connectome data was used to identify shared and psychosis-specific brain correlates of fear and anxiety using the NIH Toolbox Fear-Affect and Fear-Somatic Arousal scales. We then examined clinical correlations of Fear-Affect scores and connectivity patterns. Individuals with psychosis had higher levels of Fear-Affect scores than controls (p < 0.05). The data-driven analysis identified a cluster encompassing the amygdala and hippocampus where connectivity was correlated with Fear-Affect score (p < 0.005) in the entire sample. The strongest correlate of Fear-Affect was between this cluster and the anterior insula and stronger connectivity was associated with higher Fear-Affect scores (r = 0.31, p = 0.0003). The multivariate pattern analysis also identified a psychosis-specific correlate of Fear-Affect score between the amygdala/hippocampus cluster and a cluster in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Higher Fear-Affect scores were correlated with stronger amygdala/hippocampal-VMPFC connectivity in the early psychosis group (r = 0.33, p = 0.002), but not in controls (r = -0.15, p = 0.28). The current study provides evidence for the transdiagnostic role of the amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior insula in the neural basis of fear and anxiety and suggests a psychosis-specific relationship between fear and anxiety symptoms and amygdala/hippocampal-VMPFC connectivity. Our novel data-driven approach identifies novel, psychosis-specific treatment targets for fear and anxiety symptoms and provides complimentary evidence to decades of hypothesis-driven approaches examining the brain basis of threat processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Adam Beermann
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Michael Coleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Department of Software Engineering and Information Technology, École de technologie supérieure, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Daphne J Holt
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Dost Öngür
- McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alan Breier
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Martha E Shenton
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Roscoe O Brady
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Heather Burrell Ward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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15
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Shkreli L, Thoroddsen T, Kobelt M, Martens MA, Browning M, Harmer CJ, Cowen P, Reinecke A. Acute Angiotensin II Receptor Blockade Facilitates Parahippocampal Processing During Memory Encoding in High-Trait-Anxious Individuals. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:100286. [PMID: 38323154 PMCID: PMC10844816 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.100286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) have been associated with preventing posttraumatic stress disorder symptom development and improving memory. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. This study investigated ARB effects on memory encoding and hippocampal functioning that have previously been implicated in posttraumatic stress disorder development. Methods In a double-blind randomized design, 40 high-trait-anxious participants (33 women) received the ARB losartan (50 mg) or placebo. At drug peak level, participants encoded images of animals and landscapes before undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, where they viewed the encoded familiar images and unseen novel images to be memorized and classified as animals/landscapes. Memory recognition was assessed 1 hour after functional magnetic resonance imaging. To analyze neural effects, whole-brain analysis, hippocampus region-of-interest analysis, and exploratory multivariate pattern similarity analysis were employed. Results ARBs facilitated parahippocampal processing. In the whole-brain analysis, losartan enhanced brain activity for familiar images in the parahippocampal gyrus (PHC), anterior cingulate cortex, and caudate. For novel images, losartan enhanced brain activity in the PHC only. Pattern similarity analysis showed that losartan increased neural stability in the PHC when processing novel and familiar images. However, there were no drug effects on memory recognition or hippocampal activation. Conclusions Given that the hippocampus receives major input from the PHC, our findings suggest that ARBs may modulate higher-order visual processing through parahippocampal involvement, potentially preserving intact memory input. Future research needs to directly investigate whether this effect may underlie the preventive effects of ARBs in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorika Shkreli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Malte Kobelt
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Michael Browning
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine J. Harmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Phil Cowen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Reinecke
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
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16
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Leibovitz SE, Sevinc G, Greenberg J, Hölzel B, Gard T, Calahan T, Vangel M, Orr SP, Milad MR, Lazar SW. Mindfulness training and exercise differentially impact fear extinction neurocircuitry. Psychol Med 2024; 54:835-846. [PMID: 37655520 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to extinguish a maladaptive conditioned fear response is crucial for healthy emotional processing and resiliency to aversive experiences. Therefore, enhancing fear extinction learning has immense potential emotional and health benefits. Mindfulness training enhances both fear conditioning and recall of extinguished fear; however, its effects on fear extinction learning are unknown. Here we investigated the impact of mindfulness training on brain mechanisms associated with fear-extinction learning, compared to an exercise-based program. METHODS We investigated BOLD activations in response to a previously learned fear-inducing cue during an extinction paradigm, before and after an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR, n = 49) or exercise-based stress management education program (n = 27). RESULTS The groups exhibited similar reductions in stress, but the MBSR group was uniquely associated with enhanced activation of salience network nodes and increased hippocampal engagement. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that mindfulness training increases attention to anticipatory aversive stimuli, which in turn facilitates decreased aversive subjective responses and enhanced reappraisal of the memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaked E Leibovitz
- College of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gunes Sevinc
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jonathan Greenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Britta Hölzel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich 81675, Germany
| | - Tim Gard
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Thomas Calahan
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mark Vangel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Scott P Orr
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Psychiatry Department, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Sara W Lazar
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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17
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Hamati R, Ahrens J, Shvetz C, Holahan MR, Tuominen L. 65 years of research on dopamine's role in classical fear conditioning and extinction: A systematic review. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:1099-1140. [PMID: 37848184 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine, a catecholamine neurotransmitter, has historically been associated with the encoding of reward, whereas its role in aversion has received less attention. Here, we systematically gathered the vast evidence of the role of dopamine in the simplest forms of aversive learning: classical fear conditioning and extinction. In the past, crude methods were used to augment or inhibit dopamine to study its relationship with fear conditioning and extinction. More advanced techniques such as conditional genetic, chemogenic and optogenetic approaches now provide causal evidence for dopamine's role in these learning processes. Dopamine neurons encode conditioned stimuli during fear conditioning and extinction and convey the signal via activation of D1-4 receptor sites particularly in the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and striatum. The coordinated activation of dopamine receptors allows for the continuous formation, consolidation, retrieval and updating of fear and extinction memory in a dynamic and reciprocal manner. Based on the reviewed literature, we conclude that dopamine is crucial for the encoding of classical fear conditioning and extinction and contributes in a way that is comparable to its role in encoding reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rami Hamati
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jessica Ahrens
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cecelia Shvetz
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Matthew R Holahan
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lauri Tuominen
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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18
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Huggins AA, Baird CL, Briggs M, Laskowitz S, Hussain A, Fouda S, Haswell C, Sun D, Salminen LE, Jahanshad N, Thomopoulos SI, Veltman DJ, Frijling JL, Olff M, van Zuiden M, Koch SBJ, Nawjin L, Wang L, Zhu Y, Li G, Stein DJ, Ipser J, Seedat S, du Plessis S, van den Heuvel LL, Suarez-Jimenez B, Zhu X, Kim Y, He X, Zilcha-Mano S, Lazarov A, Neria Y, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ, Jovanovic T, van Rooij SJH, Fani N, Hudson AR, Mueller SC, Sierk A, Manthey A, Walter H, Daniels JK, Schmahl C, Herzog JI, Říha P, Rektor I, Lebois LAM, Kaufman ML, Olson EA, Baker JT, Rosso IM, King AP, Liberzon I, Angstadt M, Davenport ND, Sponheim SR, Disner SG, Straube T, Hofmann D, Qi R, Lu GM, Baugh LA, Forster GL, Simons RM, Simons JS, Magnotta VA, Fercho KA, Maron-Katz A, Etkin A, Cotton AS, O'Leary EN, Xie H, Wang X, Quidé Y, El-Hage W, Lissek S, Berg H, Bruce S, Cisler J, Ross M, Herringa RJ, Grupe DW, Nitschke JB, Davidson RJ, Larson CL, deRoon-Cassini TA, Tomas CW, Fitzgerald JM, Blackford JU, Olatunji BO, Kremen WS, Lyons MJ, Franz CE, Gordon EM, May G, Nelson SM, Abdallah CG, Levy I, Harpaz-Rotem I, Krystal JH, Dennis EL, Tate DF, Cifu DX, Walker WC, Wilde EA, Harding IH, Kerestes R, Thompson PM, Morey R. Smaller total and subregional cerebellar volumes in posttraumatic stress disorder: a mega-analysis by the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD workgroup. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:611-623. [PMID: 38195980 PMCID: PMC11153161 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02352-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Although the cerebellum contributes to higher-order cognitive and emotional functions relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prior research on cerebellar volume in PTSD is scant, particularly when considering subregions that differentially map on to motor, cognitive, and affective functions. In a sample of 4215 adults (PTSD n = 1642; Control n = 2573) across 40 sites from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group, we employed a new state-of-the-art deep-learning based approach for automatic cerebellar parcellation to obtain volumetric estimates for the total cerebellum and 28 subregions. Linear mixed effects models controlling for age, gender, intracranial volume, and site were used to compare cerebellum volumes in PTSD compared to healthy controls (88% trauma-exposed). PTSD was associated with significant grey and white matter reductions of the cerebellum. Compared to controls, people with PTSD demonstrated smaller total cerebellum volume, as well as reduced volume in subregions primarily within the posterior lobe (lobule VIIB, crus II), vermis (VI, VIII), flocculonodular lobe (lobule X), and corpus medullare (all p-FDR < 0.05). Effects of PTSD on volume were consistent, and generally more robust, when examining symptom severity rather than diagnostic status. These findings implicate regionally specific cerebellar volumetric differences in the pathophysiology of PTSD. The cerebellum appears to play an important role in higher-order cognitive and emotional processes, far beyond its historical association with vestibulomotor function. Further examination of the cerebellum in trauma-related psychopathology will help to clarify how cerebellar structure and function may disrupt cognitive and affective processes at the center of translational models for PTSD.
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Grants
- R01 MH105535 NIMH NIH HHS
- WA 1539/8-2 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
- UL1TR000454 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- K01MH118467 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- IK2 RX000709 RRD VA
- R01MH106574 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- I01 RX002172 RRD VA
- K23MH090366 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R01MH105535 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- P41 EB015922 NIBIB NIH HHS
- I01 RX002174 RRD VA
- W81XWH-10-1-0925 U.S. Department of Defense (United States Department of Defense)
- R56 MH071537 NIMH NIH HHS
- 20ZDA079 National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
- P30 HD003352 NICHD NIH HHS
- K01 MH122774 NIMH NIH HHS
- I01 RX003444 RRD VA
- IK2 RX002922 RRD VA
- 31971020 National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
- R21 MH098212 NIMH NIH HHS
- R01 MH113574 NIMH NIH HHS
- K12 HD085850 NICHD NIH HHS
- M01RR00039 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- 1IK2CX001680 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Department of Veterans Affairs)
- R01 MH071537 NIMH NIH HHS
- R21 MH106998 NIMH NIH HHS
- I01 RX003442 RRD VA
- IK2 CX001680 CSRD VA
- R01 AG064955 NIA NIH HHS
- HD071982 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- MH098212 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- 14848 Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (Michael J. Fox Foundation)
- I01 CX001135 CSRD VA
- 1IK2RX000709 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Department of Veterans Affairs)
- R21 MH112956 NIMH NIH HHS
- W81XWH-08-2-0038 United States Department of Defense | United States Army | Army Medical Command | Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
- K01 MH118428 NIMH NIH HHS
- HD085850 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- R01 MH105355 NIMH NIH HHS
- M01 RR000039 NCRR NIH HHS
- I01 RX003443 RRD VA
- R01 MH111671 NIMH NIH HHS
- R01 MH106574 NIMH NIH HHS
- R01 MH116147 NIMH NIH HHS
- M01RR00039 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- 1K2RX002922 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Department of Veterans Affairs)
- I01 RX001880 RRD VA
- K01MH122774 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- I01 RX000622 RRD VA
- R01MH111671 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- I01 RX002171 RRD VA
- R21MH098198 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- I01 HX003155 HSRD VA
- U54 EB020403 NIBIB NIH HHS
- R01 MH117601 NIMH NIH HHS
- I01 RX001774 RRD VA
- R01AG050595 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Aging (U.S. National Institute on Aging)
- I01 CX002097 CSRD VA
- I01 RX002076 RRD VA
- R01 MH119227 NIMH NIH HHS
- SFB/TRR 58: C06, C07 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
- R21MH106998 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- U21A20364 National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
- R01MH117601 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- BK20221554 Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation)
- UL1 TR000454 NCATS NIH HHS
- R01 MH107382 NIMH NIH HHS
- I01 CX001246 CSRD VA
- R01MH105355 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R56 AG058854 NIA NIH HHS
- R01MH107382 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R21MH112956 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- 40-00812-98-10041 ZonMw (Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development)
- T32 MH018931 NIMH NIH HHS
- R01 AG076838 NIA NIH HHS
- K23 MH101380 NIMH NIH HHS
- R21 MH102634 NIMH NIH HHS
- K01MH118428 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R01 MH043454 NIMH NIH HHS
- I01 RX002170 RRD VA
- MH071537 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R01 HD071982 NICHD NIH HHS
- K23 MH090366 NIMH NIH HHS
- I01 RX002173 RRD VA
- R61 NS120249 NINDS NIH HHS
- R61NS120249 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- I01RX000622 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Department of Veterans Affairs)
- 27040 Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (Brain & Behavior Research Foundation)
- W81XWH-12-2-0012 U.S. Department of Defense (United States Department of Defense)
- K01 MH118467 NIMH NIH HHS
- I01 CX002096 CSRD VA
- I01 CX001820 CSRD VA
- P50 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- R01AG059874 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Aging (U.S. National Institute on Aging)
- MH101380 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- I01 RX001135 RRD VA
- DA 1222/4-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
- R01 MH096987 NIMH NIH HHS
- 1184403 Department of Health | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- R01MH110483 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R01MH096987 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R01MH119227 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R21MH102634 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- R01AG022381 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Aging (U.S. National Institute on Aging)
- R01 AG022381 NIA NIH HHS
- R01 AG050595 NIA NIH HHS
- R01 AG059874 NIA NIH HHS
- VA Mid-Atlantic MIRECC
- Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (Michael J. Fox Foundation)
- Amsterdam Academic Medical Center grant
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)
- Ghent University Special Research Fund (BOF) 01J05415
- Julia Kasparian Fund for Neuroscience Research
- McLean Hospital Trauma Scholars Fund, Barlow Family Fund, Julia Kasparian Fund for Neuroscience Research
- Foundation for the Social Development Project of Jiangsu No. BE2022705
- Center for Brain and Behavior Research Pilot Grant, South Dakota Governor’s Research Center Grant
- Center for Brain and Behavior Research Pilot Grant, South Dakota Governor ’s Research Center Grant
- Fondation Pierre Deniker pour la Recherche et la Prévention en Santé Mentale (Fondation Pierre Deniker pour la Recherche & la Prévention en Santé Mentale)
- PHRC, SFR FED4226
- Dana Foundation (Charles A. Dana Foundation)
- UW | Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- US VA VISN17 Center of Excellence Pilot funding
- VA National Center for PTSD, Beth K and Stuart Yudofsky Chair in the Neuropsychiatry of Military Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome
- US VA National Center for PTSD, NCATS
- This work was supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs endorsed by the Department of Defense, through the Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium (LIMBIC) Award/W81XWH-18-PH/TBIRP-LIMBIC under Awards No. W81XWH1920067 and W81XWH-13-2-0095, and by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Awards No. I01 CX002097, I01 CX002096, I01 CX001820, I01 HX003155, I01 RX003444, I01 RX003443, I01 RX003442, I01 CX001135, I01 CX001246, I01 RX001774, I01 RX 001135, I01 RX 002076, I01 RX 001880, I01 RX 002172, I01 RX 002173, I01 RX 002171, I01 RX 002174, and I01 RX 002170. The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 839 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office.
- HFP90-020
- VA VISN6 MIRECC
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley A Huggins
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - C Lexi Baird
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Melvin Briggs
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sarah Laskowitz
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ahmed Hussain
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Samar Fouda
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Courtney Haswell
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Delin Sun
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, Ting Kok, Hong Kong
| | - Lauren E Salminen
- Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Sophia I Thomopoulos
- Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Amsterdam UMC Vrije Universiteit, Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jessie L Frijling
- Amsterdam UMC University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Miranda Olff
- Amsterdam UMC University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam van Zuiden
- Amsterdam UMC University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia B J Koch
- Amsterdam UMC University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Nawjin
- Amsterdam UMC Vrije Universiteit, Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Li Wang
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Zhu
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gen Li
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Center for Global Health Equity, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan J Stein
- SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jonathan Ipser
- SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Unit on the Genomics of Brain Disorders (GBD), Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Stefan du Plessis
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Unit on the Genomics of Brain Disorders (GBD), Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Leigh L van den Heuvel
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Unit on the Genomics of Brain Disorders (GBD), Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | | | - Xi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yoojean Kim
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiaofu He
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Amit Lazarov
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
| | - Yuval Neria
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anna R Hudson
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sven C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anika Sierk
- University Medical Centre Charité, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Judith K Daniels
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Schmahl
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julia I Herzog
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pavel Říha
- First Department of Neurology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ivan Rektor
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard University, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Milissa L Kaufman
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Women's Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Olson
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard University, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Justin T Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Isabelle M Rosso
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard University, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Anthony P King
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Isreal Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Mike Angstadt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nicholas D Davenport
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Scott R Sponheim
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Seth G Disner
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Rongfeng Qi
- Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guang Ming Lu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lee A Baugh
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Gina L Forster
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Raluca M Simons
- Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Disaster Mental Health Institute, Vermillion, SD, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Simons
- Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
| | - Vincent A Magnotta
- Departments of Radiology, Psychiatry, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Kelene A Fercho
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
- Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
- Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, US Federal Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Adi Maron-Katz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Amit Etkin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Andrew S Cotton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Erin N O'Leary
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Hong Xie
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Yann Quidé
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Wissam El-Hage
- UMR1253, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France
- CIC1415, CHRU de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France
| | - Shmuel Lissek
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Hannah Berg
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Steven Bruce
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Center for Trauma Recovery University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Josh Cisler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Marisa Ross
- Northwestern Neighborhood and Network Initiative, Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Ryan J Herringa
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Daniel W Grupe
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jack B Nitschke
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Richard J Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Christine L Larson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Terri A deRoon-Cassini
- Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Comprehensive Injury Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Carissa W Tomas
- Comprehensive Injury Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Division of Epidemiology and Social Sciences, Institute of Health and Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - William S Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Dept. of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carol E Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Evan M Gordon
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Geoffrey May
- Veterans Integrated Service Network-17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Steven M Nelson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Chadi G Abdallah
- Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ifat Levy
- Departments of Comparative Medicine, Neuroscience and Psychology, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ilan Harpaz-Rotem
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Psychology, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Emily L Dennis
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - David F Tate
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - David X Cifu
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - William C Walker
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Veterans Affairs (VA) Richmond Health Care, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Wilde
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- H. Ben Taub Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ian H Harding
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
| | - Rebecca Kerestes
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Rajendra Morey
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veteran Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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19
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Leichsenring F, Fonagy P, Heim N, Kernberg OF, Leweke F, Luyten P, Salzer S, Spitzer C, Steinert C. Borderline personality disorder: a comprehensive review of diagnosis and clinical presentation, etiology, treatment, and current controversies. World Psychiatry 2024; 23:4-25. [PMID: 38214629 PMCID: PMC10786009 DOI: 10.1002/wps.21156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) was introduced in the DSM-III in 1980. From the DSM-III to the DSM-5, no major changes have occurred in its defining criteria. The disorder is characterized by instability of self-image, interpersonal relationships and affects. Further symptoms include impulsivity, intense anger, feelings of emptiness, strong abandonment fears, suicidal or self-mutilation behavior, and transient stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms. There is evidence that BPD can be reliably diagnosed and differentiated from other mental disorders by semi-structured interviews. The disorder is associated with considerable functional impairment, intensive treatment utilization, and high societal costs. The risk of self-mutilation and suicide is high. In the general adult population, the lifetime prevalence of BPD has been reported to be from 0.7 to 2.7%, while its prevalence is about 12% in outpatient and 22% in inpatient psychiatric services. BPD is significantly associated with other mental disorders, including depressive disorders, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, bulimia nervosa, and other personality disorders. There is convincing evidence to suggest that the interaction between genetic factors and adverse childhood experiences plays a central role in the etiology of BPD. In spite of considerable research, the neurobiological underpinnings of the disorder remain to be clarified. Psychotherapy is the treatment of choice for BPD. Various approaches have been empirically supported in randomized controlled trials, including dialectical behavior therapy, mentalization-based therapy, transference-focused therapy, and schema therapy. No approach has proved to be superior to others. Compared to treatment as usual, psychotherapy has proved to be more efficacious, with effect sizes between 0.50 and 0.65 with regard to core BPD symptom severity. However, almost half of the patients do not respond sufficiently to psychotherapy, and further research in this area is warranted. It is not clear whether some patients may benefit more from one psychotherapeutic approach than from others. No evidence is available consistently showing that any psychoactive medication is efficacious for the core features of BPD. For discrete and severe comorbid anxiety or depressive symptoms or psychotic-like features, pharmacotherapy may be useful. Early diagnosis and treatment of BPD can reduce individual suffering and societal costs. However, more high-quality studies are required, in both adolescents and adults. This review provides a comprehensive update of the BPD diagnosis and clinical characterization, risk factors, neurobiology, cognition, and management. It also discusses the current controversies concerning the disorder, and highlights the areas in which further research is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Falk Leichsenring
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Peter Fonagy
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nikolas Heim
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Otto F Kernberg
- Personality Disorders Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Frank Leweke
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Patrick Luyten
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simone Salzer
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Spitzer
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Christiane Steinert
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany
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20
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Fricke S, Seinsche RJ, Neudert MK, Schäfer A, Zehtner RI, Stark R, Hermann A. Neural correlates of context-dependent extinction recall in social anxiety disorder: relevance of intrusions in response to aversive social experiences. Psychol Med 2024; 54:548-557. [PMID: 37553977 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are phenomenological similarities between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and posttraumatic stress disorder, such as a provoking aversive event, posttraumatic stress symptoms (e.g. intrusions) in response to these events and deficient (context-dependent) fear conditioning processes. This study investigated the neural correlates of context-dependent extinction recall and fear renewal in SAD, specifically in patients with intrusions in response to an etiologically relevant aversive social event. METHODS During functional magnetic resonance imaging a two-day context-dependent fear conditioning paradigm was conducted in 54 patients with SAD and 54 healthy controls (HC). This included fear acquisition (context A) and extinction learning (context B) on one day, and extinction recall (context B) as well as fear renewal (contexts C and A) one day later. The main outcome measures were blood oxygen level-dependent responses in regions of interest and skin conductance responses. RESULTS Patients with SAD showed reduced differential conditioned amygdala activation during extinction recall in the safe extinction context and during fear renewal in the acquisition context compared to HC. Patients with clinically relevant intrusions moreover exhibited hypoactivation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) during extinction learning, extinction recall, and fear renewal in a novel context, while amygdala activation more strongly decreased during extinction learning and increased during fear renewal in the acquisition context compared with patients without intrusions. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides first evidence that intrusions in SAD are associated with similar deficits in context-dependent regulation of conditioned fear via the vmPFC as previously demonstrated in posttraumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Fricke
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rosa J Seinsche
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Marie K Neudert
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Axel Schäfer
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Phillips University Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Raphaela I Zehtner
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Phillips University Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Andrea Hermann
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Phillips University Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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21
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Hearne LJ, Breakspear M, Harrison BJ, Hall CV, Savage HS, Robinson C, Sonkusare S, Savage E, Nott Z, Marcus L, Naze S, Burgher B, Zalesky A, Cocchi L. Revisiting deficits in threat and safety appraisal in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:6418-6428. [PMID: 37853935 PMCID: PMC10681637 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Current behavioural treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is informed by fear conditioning and involves iteratively re-evaluating previously threatening stimuli as safe. However, there is limited research investigating the neurobiological response to conditioning and reversal of threatening stimuli in individuals with OCD. A clinical sample of individuals with OCD (N = 45) and matched healthy controls (N = 45) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. While in the scanner, participants completed a well-validated fear reversal task and a resting-state scan. We found no evidence for group differences in task-evoked brain activation or functional connectivity in OCD. Multivariate analyses encompassing all participants in the clinical and control groups suggested that subjective appraisal of threatening and safe stimuli were associated with a larger difference in brain activity than the contribution of OCD symptoms. In particular, we observed a brain-behaviour continuum whereby heightened affective appraisal was related to increased bilateral insula activation during the task (r = 0.39, pFWE = .001). These findings suggest that changes in conditioned threat-related processes may not be a core neurobiological feature of OCD and encourage further research on the role of subjective experience in fear conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J. Hearne
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Michael Breakspear
- College of Engineering Science and Environment, College of Health and MedicineUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Ben J. Harrison
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of PsychiatryThe University of Melbourne & Melbourne HealthMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Caitlin V. Hall
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Hannah S. Savage
- College of Engineering Science and Environment, College of Health and MedicineUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Conor Robinson
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | | | - Emma Savage
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Zoie Nott
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Leo Marcus
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Sebastien Naze
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Bjorn Burgher
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Andrew Zalesky
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of PsychiatryThe University of Melbourne & Melbourne HealthMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Luca Cocchi
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQLDAustralia
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22
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Wendt J, Kuhn M, Hamm AO, Lonsdorf TB. Recent advances in studying brain-behavior interactions using functional imaging: The primary startle response pathway and its affective modulation in humans. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14364. [PMID: 37402156 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
The startle response is a cross-species defensive reflex that is considered a key tool for cross-species translational emotion research. While the neural pathway mediating (affective) startle modulation has been extensively studied in rodents, human work on brain-behavior interactions has lagged in the past due to technical challenges, which have only recently been overcome through non-invasive simultaneous EMG-fMRI assessments. We illustrate key paradigms and methodological tools for startle response assessment in rodents and humans and review evidence for primary and modulatory neural circuits underlying startle responses and their affective modulation in humans. Based on this, we suggest a refined and integrative model for primary and modulatory startle response pathways in humans concluding that there is strong evidence from human work on the neurobiological pathway underlying the primary startle response while evidence for the modulatory pathway is still sparse. In addition, we provide methodological considerations to guide future work and provide an outlook on new and exciting perspectives enabled through technical and theoretical advances outlined in this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Wendt
- Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, University of Potsdam, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Manuel Kuhn
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Alfons O Hamm
- Department of Physiological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Tina B Lonsdorf
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Bielefeld, Germany
- Institute for Psychology, Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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23
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Diniz JB, Bazán PR, Pereira CADB, Saraiva EF, Ramos PRC, de Oliveira AR, Reimer AE, Hoexter MQ, Miguel EC, Shavitt RG, Batistuzzo MC. Brain activation during fear extinction recall in unmedicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 336:111733. [PMID: 37913655 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Specific brain activation patterns during fear conditioning and the recall of previously extinguished fear responses have been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, further replication studies are necessary. We measured skin-conductance response and blood oxygenation level-dependent responses in unmedicated adult patients with OCD (n = 27) and healthy participants (n = 22) submitted to a two-day fear-conditioning experiment comprising fear conditioning, extinction (day 1) and extinction recall (day 2). During conditioning, groups differed regarding the skin conductance reactivity to the aversive stimulus (shock) and regarding the activation of the right opercular cortex, insular cortex, putamen, and lingual gyrus in response to conditioned stimuli. During extinction recall, patients with OCD had higher responses to stimuli and smaller differences between responses to conditioned and neutral stimuli. For the entire sample, the higher the response delta between conditioned and neutral stimuli, the greater the dACC activation for the same contrast during early extinction recall. While activation of the dACC predicted the average difference between responses to stimuli for the entire sample, groups did not differ regarding the activation of the dACC during extinction recall. Larger unmedicated samples might be necessary to replicate the previous findings reported in patients with OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Belo Diniz
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos, 785, 05403-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Paulo Rodrigo Bazán
- Radiology Institute, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos, 75, 05403-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Av. Albert Einstein, 627, 05652-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Erlandson Ferreira Saraiva
- Institute of Applied Mathematics, Universidade Federal do Mato grosso do Sul, Cidade Universitária, Caixa Postal 549, 79070-900, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Paula Roberta Camargo Ramos
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos, 785, 05403-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Amanda Ribeiro de Oliveira
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, Caixa Postal: 676, 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Institute of Neuroscience and Behavior (INeC), Av. do Café, 2450, 14050-220, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Adriano Edgar Reimer
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, Caixa Postal: 676, 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Institute of Neuroscience and Behavior (INeC), Av. do Café, 2450, 14050-220, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Queiroz Hoexter
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos, 785, 05403-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Euripedes Constantino Miguel
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos, 785, 05403-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Roseli Gedanke Shavitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos, 785, 05403-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Camargo Batistuzzo
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos, 785, 05403-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Department of Methods and Techniques in Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University, Rua Monte Alegre, 984, 05014-901, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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24
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Kershaw KA, Pestana JE, Brooke M, Saavedra Cardona L, Graham BM. Dissociable role of the basolateral complex of the amygdala in the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear following reproductive experience in female rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 206:107863. [PMID: 37995803 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
In female rats and humans, reproductive experience (i.e., pregnancy) alters the behavioral, hormonal and molecular substrates of fear extinction. Here, we assessed whether the role of a central neural substrate of fear extinction, the basolateral amygdala (BLA), also changes following reproductive experience. Nulliparous (virgin) and primiparous (one prior pregnancy) female rats received infusions of the GABAA agonist, muscimol, to temporarily inactivate the BLA prior to fear conditioning or extinction training. In follow up experiments, the BLA was also inactivated immediately after extinction training. BLA inactivation impaired the acquisition and expression of conditioned fear in both nulliparous and primiparous rats. In nulliparous rats, BLA inactivation prior to or immediately after extinction training impaired extinction retention. In contrast, in primiparous rats, BLA inactivation prior to or immediately after extinction training did not impair extinction retention, despite suppressing freezing during extinction training. These results suggest that, consistent with past findings in males, the BLA is a central component of the neural circuitry of fear acquisition and its extinction in virgin female rats. However, after pregnancy, female rats no longer depend on the BLA to extinguish fear, despite requiring the BLA to acquire conditioned fear. Given that fear extinction forms the basis of exposure therapy for anxiety disorders in humans, the present findings may have clinical implications. To improve the efficacy of exposure therapy for anxiety disorders, we may need to target different mechanisms in females dependent on their reproductive history.
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25
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Gerin MI, Viding E, Herringa RJ, Russell JD, McCrory EJ. A systematic review of childhood maltreatment and resting state functional connectivity. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 64:101322. [PMID: 37952287 PMCID: PMC10665826 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) has the potential to shed light on how childhood abuse and neglect relates to negative psychiatric outcomes. However, a comprehensive review of the impact of childhood maltreatment on the brain's resting state functional organization has not yet been undertaken. We systematically searched rsFC studies in children and youth exposed to maltreatment. Nineteen studies (total n = 3079) met our inclusion criteria. Two consistent findings were observed. Childhood maltreatment was linked to reduced connectivity between the anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and with widespread heightened amygdala connectivity with key structures in the salience, default mode, and prefrontal regulatory networks. Other brain regions showing altered connectivity included the ventral anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. These patterns of altered functional connectivity associated with maltreatment exposure were independent of symptoms, yet comparable to those seen in individuals with overt clinical disorder. Summative findings indicate that rsFC alterations associated with maltreatment experience are related to poor cognitive and social functioning and are prognostic of future symptoms. In conclusion, maltreatment is associated with altered rsFC in emotional reactivity, regulation, learning, and salience detection brain circuits. This indicates patterns of recalibration of putative mechanisms implicated in maladaptive developmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia I Gerin
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK; Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK.
| | - Essi Viding
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ryan J Herringa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, WI, UK
| | - Justin D Russell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, WI, UK
| | - Eamon J McCrory
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK; Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK
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26
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Brouillard A, Davignon LM, Turcotte AM, Marin MF. Morphologic alterations of the fear circuitry: the role of sex hormones and oral contraceptives. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1228504. [PMID: 38027091 PMCID: PMC10661904 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1228504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Endogenous sex hormones and oral contraceptives (OCs) have been shown to influence key regions implicated in fear processing. While OC use has been found to impact brain morphology, methodological challenges remain to be addressed, such as avoiding selection bias between OC users and non-users, as well as examining potential lasting effects of OC intake. Objective We investigated the current and lasting effects of OC use, as well as the interplay between the current hormonal milieu and history of hormonal contraception use on structural correlates of the fear circuitry. We also examined the role of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones within this network. Methods We recruited healthy adults aged 23-35 who identified as women currently using (n = 62) or having used (n = 37) solely combined OCs, women who never used any hormonal contraceptives (n = 40), or men (n = 41). Salivary endogenous sex hormones and current users' salivary ethinyl estradiol (EE) were assessed using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, we extracted surface-based gray matter volumes (GMVs) and cortical thickness (CT) for regions of interest of the fear circuitry. Exploratory whole-brain analyses were conducted with surface-based and voxel-based morphometry methods. Results Compared to men, all three groups of women exhibited a larger GMV of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, while only current users showed a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Irrespective of the menstrual cycle phase, never users exhibited a thicker right anterior insular cortex than past users. While associations with endogenous sex hormones remain unclear, we showed that EE dosage in current users had a greater influence on brain anatomy compared to salivary EE levels and progestin androgenicity, with lower doses being associated with smaller cortical GMVs. Discussion Our results highlight a sex difference for the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex GMV (a fear-promoting region), as well as a reduced CT of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (a fear-inhibiting region) specific to current OC use. Precisely, this finding was driven by lower EE doses. These findings may represent structural vulnerabilities to anxiety and stress-related disorders. We showed little evidence of durable anatomical effects, suggesting that OC intake can (reversibly) affect fear-related brain morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Brouillard
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lisa-Marie Davignon
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Marie-France Marin
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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27
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Adams TG, Kelmendi B, George JR, Forte J, Hubert TJJ, Wild H, Rippey CS, Pittenger C. Frontopolar multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation reduces conditioned fear reactivity during extinction training: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107825. [PMID: 37699439 PMCID: PMC10872945 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Exposure-based therapies for anxiety and related disorders are believed to depend on fear extinction learning and corresponding changes in extinction circuitry. Frontopolar multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve therapeutic safety learning during in vivo exposure and may modulate functional connectivity of networks implicated in fear processing and inhibition. A pilot randomized controlled trial was completed to determine the effects of frontopolar tDCS on extinction learning and memory. Community volunteers (n = 35) completed a 3-day fear extinction paradigm with measurement of electrodermal activity. Participants were randomized (single-blind) to 20-min of sham (n = 17, 30 s. ramp in/out) or active (n = 18) frontopolar (anode over Fpz, 10-10 EEG) multifocal tDCS (20-min, 1.5 mA) prior to extinction training. Mixed ANOVAs revealed a significant group*trial effect on skin conductance response (SCR) to the conditioned stimulus (CS + ) during extinction training (p = 0.007, Cohen's d = 0.55). The effects of frontopolar tDCS were greatest during the first two extinction trials, suggesting that tDCS may have promoted fear inhibition prior to safety learning. Return of fear to the CS + during tests were comparable across conditions (ps > 0.50). These findings suggest that frontopolar tDCS may modulate the processing of threat cues and associated circuitry or promote the inhibition of fear. This has clear implications for the treatment of anxiety and related disorders with therapeutic exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Adams
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States.
| | - Benjamin Kelmendi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Clinical Neuroscience Division of the National Center for PTSD, West Haven VA Medical Center, United States
| | - Jamilah R George
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, United States
| | - Jennifer Forte
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, United States
| | - Troy J J Hubert
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States
| | - Hannah Wild
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States
| | - Colton S Rippey
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States
| | - Christopher Pittenger
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Child Study Center, Yale University, United States; Department of Psychology, Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale University, United States
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28
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Grégoire L, Robinson TD, Choi JM, Greening SG. Conscious expectancy rather than associative strength elicits brain activity during single-cue fear conditioning. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad054. [PMID: 37756616 PMCID: PMC10597625 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The neurocognitive processes underlying Pavlovian conditioning in humans are still largely debated. The conventional view is that conditioned responses (CRs) emerge automatically as a function of the contingencies between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US). As such, the associative strength model asserts that the frequency or amplitude of CRs reflects the strength of the CS-US associations. Alternatively, the expectation model asserts that the presentation of the CS triggers conscious expectancy of the US, which is responsible for the production of CRs. The present study tested the hypothesis that there are dissociable brain networks related to the expectancy and associative strength theories using a single-cue fear conditioning paradigm with a pseudo-random intermittent reinforcement schedule during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants' (n = 21) trial-by-trial expectations of receiving shock displayed a significant linear effect consistent with the expectation model. We also found a positive linear relationship between the expectancy model and activity in frontoparietal brain areas including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsomedial PFC. While an exploratory analysis found a linear relationship consistent with the associated strength model in the insula and early visual cortex, our primary results are consistent with the view that conscious expectancy contributes to CRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Grégoire
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M, College Station, TX 77843-4235, USA
| | - Tyler D Robinson
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Jong Moon Choi
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Statistical Methodology Division, Statistics Research Institute, Daejeon 35208, South Korea
| | - Steven G Greening
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R3T 2N2, Canada
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29
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Poplin T, Ironside M, Kuplicki R, Aupperle RL, Guinjoan SM, Khalsa SS, Stewart JL, Victor TA, Paulus MP, Kirlic N. The unique face of anxious depression: Increased sustained threat circuitry response during fear acquisition. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.17.562565. [PMID: 37905149 PMCID: PMC10614928 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.17.562565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Background Sensitivity to threat with dysregulation of fear learning is thought to contribute to the development of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders (AD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, fewer studies have examined fear learning in MDD than in AD. Nearly half of individuals with MDD have an AD and the comorbid diagnosis has worse outcomes. The current study used propensity matching to examine the hypothesis that AD+MDD shows greater neural correlates of fear learning than MDD, suggesting that the co-occurrence of AD+MDD is exemplified by exaggerated defense related processes. Methods 195 individuals with MDD (N = 65) or AD+MDD (N=130) were recruited from the community and completed multi-level assessments, including a Pavlovian fear learning task during functional imaging. Results MDD and AD+MDD showed significantly different patterns of activation for [CSplus-CSminus] in the medial amygdala (ηp2=0.009), anterior insula (ηp2=0.01), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (ηp2=0.002), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ηp2=0.01), mid-cingulate cortex (ηp2=0.01) and posterior cingulate cortex (ηp2=0.02). These differences were driven by greater activation to the CS+ in late conditioning phases in ADD+MDD relative to MDD. Conclusions AD+MDD showed a pattern of increased sustained activation in regions identified with fear learning. Effects were consistently driven by the threat condition, further suggesting fear signaling as the emergent target process. Differences emerged in regions associated with salience processing, attentional orienting/conflict, and self-relevant processing.These findings help to elucidate the fear signaling mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of comorbid anxiety and depression, thereby highlighting promising treatment targets for this prevalent treatment group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tate Poplin
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Maria Ironside
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Rayus Kuplicki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Robin L. Aupperle
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Salvador M. Guinjoan
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Sahib S. Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Stewart
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Teresa A. Victor
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Martin P. Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Namik Kirlic
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
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30
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Caudle MM, Dugas N, Stout DM, Ball TM, Bomyea J. Adjunctive cognitive training with exposure enhances fear and neural outcomes in social anxiety. Psychiatry Res 2023; 327:115416. [PMID: 37604041 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold standard for treating social anxiety disorder (SAD), yet response is not universal. CBT is thought to operate via extinction-related learning during exposure, which in turn relies on cognitive processes such as working memory. The present proof-of-concept study investigates the potential for training working memory to improve anxiety related outcomes following exposure. Thirty-three adults with elevated social anxiety were randomized to complete a working memory training or sham training condition. Post-training, participants completed a working memory assessment, speech exposure session, and two fMRI tasks. Participants who received working memory training demonstrated lower distress ratings by the end of the speech exposures and better performance on the fMRI working memory task than those in sham. Working memory training completers had greater neural activation in frontoparietal regions during an in-scanner working memory task and exhibited less neural activation in the fusiform gyrus in response to an emotional face processing task than those in sham. Adding working memory training to exposure procedures could strengthen functioning of frontoparietal regions and alter emotional processing - key mechanisms implicated in extinction learning. Findings provide preliminary evidence that training working memory in conjunction with exposure may enhance exposure success.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Caudle
- San Diego State University, University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 103, San Diego, CA 92120, United States; Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - N Dugas
- Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - D M Stout
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; VA San Diego Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States
| | - T M Ball
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - J Bomyea
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; VA San Diego Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States.
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31
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Abend R. Understanding anxiety symptoms as aberrant defensive responding along the threat imminence continuum. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105305. [PMID: 37414377 PMCID: PMC10528507 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Threat-anticipatory defensive responses have evolved to promote survival in a dynamic world. While inherently adaptive, aberrant expression of defensive responses to potential threat could manifest as pathological anxiety, which is prevalent, impairing, and associated with adverse outcomes. Extensive translational neuroscience research indicates that normative defensive responses are organized by threat imminence, such that distinct response patterns are observed in each phase of threat encounter and orchestrated by partially conserved neural circuitry. Anxiety symptoms, such as excessive and pervasive worry, physiological arousal, and avoidance behavior, may reflect aberrant expression of otherwise normative defensive responses, and therefore follow the same imminence-based organization. Here, empirical evidence linking aberrant expression of specific, imminence-dependent defensive responding to distinct anxiety symptoms is reviewed, and plausible contributing neural circuitry is highlighted. Drawing from translational and clinical research, the proposed framework informs our understanding of pathological anxiety by grounding anxiety symptoms in conserved psychobiological mechanisms. Potential implications for research and treatment are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rany Abend
- School of Psychology, Reichman University, P.O. Box 167, Herzliya 4610101, Israel; Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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32
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Tortora F, Hadipour AL, Battaglia S, Falzone A, Avenanti A, Vicario CM. The Role of Serotonin in Fear Learning and Memory: A Systematic Review of Human Studies. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1197. [PMID: 37626553 PMCID: PMC10452575 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13081197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear is characterized by distinct behavioral and physiological responses that are essential for the survival of the human species. Fear conditioning (FC) serves as a valuable model for studying the acquisition, extinction, and expression of fear. The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system is known to play a significant role in emotional and motivational aspects of human behavior, including fear learning and expression. Accumulating evidence from both animal and human studies suggests that brain regions involved in FC, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, possess a high density of 5-HT receptors, implicating the crucial involvement of serotonin in aversive learning. Additionally, studies exploring serotonin gene polymorphisms have indicated their potential influence on FC. Therefore, the objective of this work was to review the existing evidence linking 5-HT with fear learning and memory in humans. Through a comprehensive screening of the PubMed and Web of Science databases, 29 relevant studies were included in the final review. These studies investigated the relationship between serotonin and fear learning using drug manipulations or by studying 5-HT-related gene polymorphisms. The results suggest that elevated levels of 5-HT enhance aversive learning, indicating that the modulation of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors regulates the expression of fear responses in humans. Understanding the role of this neurochemical messenger in associative aversive learning can provide insights into psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Tortora
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Abed L. Hadipour
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Simone Battaglia
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Rasi e Spinelli 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy;
| | - Alessandra Falzone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Rasi e Spinelli 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy;
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile
| | - Carmelo M. Vicario
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
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Forkmann K, Wiech K, Schmidt K, Schmid-Köhler J, Bingel U. Neural underpinnings of preferential pain learning and the modulatory role of fear. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:9664-9676. [PMID: 37408110 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its unique biological relevance, pain-related learning might differ from learning from other aversive experiences. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study compared neural mechanisms underlying the acquisition and extinction of different threats in healthy humans. We investigated whether cue-pain associations are acquired faster and extinguished slower than cue associations with an equally unpleasant tone. Additionally, we studied the modulatory role of stimulus-related fear. Therefore, we used a differential conditioning paradigm, in which somatic heat pain stimuli and unpleasantness-matched auditory stimuli served as US. Our results show stronger acquisition learning for pain- than tone-predicting cues, which was augmented in participants with relatively higher levels of fear of pain. These behavioral findings were paralleled by activation of brain regions implicated in threat processing (insula, amygdala) and personal significance (ventromedial prefrontal cortex). By contrast, extinction learning seemed to be less dependent on the threat value of the US, both on the behavioral and neural levels. Amygdala activity, however, scaled with pain-related fear during extinction learning. Our findings on faster and stronger (i.e. "preferential") pain learning and the role of fear of pain are consistent with the biological relevance of pain and may be relevant to the development or maintenance of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Forkmann
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioural Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen 45147, Germany
| | - Katja Wiech
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Katharina Schmidt
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioural Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen 45147, Germany
| | - Julia Schmid-Köhler
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioural Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen 45147, Germany
| | - Ulrike Bingel
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioural Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen 45147, Germany
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Li Y, Zhi W, Qi B, Wang L, Hu X. Update on neurobiological mechanisms of fear: illuminating the direction of mechanism exploration and treatment development of trauma and fear-related disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1216524. [PMID: 37600761 PMCID: PMC10433239 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1216524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear refers to an adaptive response in the face of danger, and the formed fear memory acts as a warning when the individual faces a dangerous situation again, which is of great significance to the survival of humans and animals. Excessive fear response caused by abnormal fear memory can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders. Fear memory has been studied for a long time, which is of a certain guiding effect on the treatment of fear-related disorders. With continuous technological innovations, the study of fear has gradually shifted from the level of brain regions to deeper neural (micro) circuits between brain regions and even within single brain regions, as well as molecular mechanisms. This article briefly outlines the basic knowledge of fear memory and reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of fear extinction and relapse, which aims to provide new insights for future basic research on fear emotions and new ideas for treating trauma and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Zhi
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Qi
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Lifeng Wang
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangjun Hu
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
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35
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Kampa M, Hermann A, Stark R, Klucken T. Neural correlates of immediate versus delayed extinction when simultaneously varying the time of the test in humans. Cereb Cortex 2023:bhad205. [PMID: 37317067 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are effectively treated with exposure therapy based on the extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Animal research indicates that both the timing of extinction and test are important factors to reduce the return of fear. However, empirical evidence in humans is incomplete and inconsistent. In this neuroimaging study, we, therefore, tested 103 young, healthy participants in a 2-factorial between-subjects design with the factors extinction group (immediate, delayed) and test group (+1 day and +7 days). Immediate extinction led to greater retention of fear memory at the beginning of extinction training indicated by increased skin conductance responses. A return of fear was observed in both extinction groups, with a trend toward a greater return of fear in immediate extinction. The return of fear was generally higher in groups with an early test. Neuroimaging results show successful cross-group fear acquisition and retention, as well as activation of the left nucleus accumbens during extinction training. Importantly, the delayed extinction group showed a larger bilateral nucleus accumbens activation during test. This nucleus accumbens finding is discussed in terms of salience, contingency, relief, and prediction error processing. It may imply that the delayed extinction group benefits more from the test as a new learning opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kampa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen 57072, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Andrea Hermann
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen 57072, Germany
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36
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Steinhäuser JL, Teed AR, Al-Zoubi O, Hurlemann R, Chen G, Khalsa SS. Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9626. [PMID: 37316518 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35939-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Differences in the correlated activity of networked brain regions have been reported in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but an overreliance on null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) limits the identification of disorder-relevant relationships. In this preregistered study, we applied both a Bayesian statistical framework and NHST to the analysis of resting-state fMRI scans from females with GAD and matched healthy comparison females. Eleven a-priori hypotheses about functional connectivity (FC) were evaluated using Bayesian (multilevel model) and frequentist (t-test) inference. Reduced FC between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the posterior-mid insula (PMI) was confirmed by both statistical approaches and was associated with anxiety sensitivity. FC between the vmPFC-anterior insula, the amygdala-PMI, and the amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) region pairs did not survive multiple comparison correction using the frequentist approach. However, the Bayesian model provided evidence for these region pairs having decreased FC in the GAD group. Leveraging Bayesian modeling, we demonstrate decreased FC of the vmPFC, insula, amygdala, and dlPFC in females with GAD. Exploiting the Bayesian framework revealed FC abnormalities between region pairs excluded by the frequentist analysis and other previously undescribed regions in GAD, demonstrating the value of applying this approach to resting-state FC data in clinical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas L Steinhäuser
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA.
- Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Adam R Teed
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Obada Al-Zoubi
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - René Hurlemann
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Gang Chen
- Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sahib S Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA.
- Oxley College of Health Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA.
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37
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Norbury A, Seeley SH, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Feder A. Functional neuroimaging of resilience to trauma: convergent evidence and challenges for future research. Psychol Med 2023; 53:3293-3305. [PMID: 37264949 PMCID: PMC11350638 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723001162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Resilience is broadly defined as the ability to adapt successfully following stressful life events. Here, we review functional MRI studies that investigated key psychological factors that have been consistently linked to resilience to severe adversity and trauma exposure. These domains include emotion regulation (including cognitive reappraisal), reward responsivity, and cognitive control. Further, we briefly review functional imaging evidence related to emerging areas of study that may potentially facilitate resilience: namely social cognition, active coping, and successful fear extinction. Finally, we also touch upon ongoing issues in neuroimaging study design that will need to be addressed to enable us to harness insight from such studies to improve treatments for - or, ideally, guard against the development of - debilitating post-traumatic stress syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes Norbury
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Mental Health Neuroscience Department, Applied Computational Psychiatry Lab, Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Saren H. Seeley
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Adriana Feder
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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38
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Badarnee M, Wen Z, Nassar N, Milad MR. Gray matter associations with extinction-induced neural activation in patients with anxiety disorders. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 162:180-186. [PMID: 37167838 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between structural characteristics and extinction-induced brain activations in anxiety disorders (ANX) remains a space for greater exploration. In this study, we assessed gray matter volume (GMV) and its associated functional activations during fear extinction memory recall in an ANX cohort. We performed voxel-based morphometry analysis to examine GMVs from ANX (n = 92) and controls (n = 73). We further examined the correlation between GMVs and extinction-induced neural activations during recall across groups. In the patients' group, we observed decreased GMV in the anterior hippocampus and increased GMV in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Hippocampal volume was positively correlated with ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation in healthy controls, while it was negatively correlated with dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) activation in ANX. The dlPFC volume was positively correlated with activations of dACC, pre- and post-central gyrus, and supramarginal gyrus only in healthy controls. Therefore, the link between structural and functional imbalance within the hippocampus and dlPFC might contribute to the pathophysiology of ANX. In the controls, the relationship between structural variance in the hippocampus and dlPFC and extinction-induced neural activations is consistent with a greater ability to regulate fear responding; associations that were absent in the ANX cohort. Furthermore, our findings of structure-function abnormalities within key nodes of emotional homeostasis in ANX point to dlPFC as a potential neural node to target using neuromodulation tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Badarnee
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zhenfu Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Noor Nassar
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Rockland, NY, USA.
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39
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Neudert MK, Schäfer A, Zehtner RI, Fricke S, Seinsche RJ, Kruse O, Stark R, Hermann A. Behavioral pattern separation is associated with neural and electrodermal correlates of context-dependent fear conditioning. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5577. [PMID: 37019951 PMCID: PMC10076331 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31504-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hippocampus-dependent pattern separation is considered as a relevant factor for context discrimination and might therefore impact the contextual modulation of conditioned fear. However, the association between pattern separation and context-dependent fear conditioning has not been investigated so far. In the current study, 72 healthy female students completed the Mnemonic Similarity Task, a measure of behavioral pattern separation, in addition to a context-dependent fear conditioning paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging. The paradigm included fear acquisition in context A and extinction training in context B on a first day, as well as retrieval testing of the fear and extinction memories in the safe context B (extinction recall) and a novel context C (fear renewal) one day later. Main outcome measures comprised skin conductance responses (SCRs) and blood oxygen level-dependent responses in brain regions of the fear and extinction circuit. Regarding retrieval testing, pattern separation did not correlate with extinction recall, but with stronger dorsal anterior cingulate cortex activation and conditioned SCRs (trend) during fear renewal, indicating a stronger retrieval of the fear memory trace. Our findings suggest that behavioral pattern separation ability seems to be important for context-dependent fear modulation, which is impaired in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie K Neudert
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Axel Schäfer
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Phillips University Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Raphaela I Zehtner
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Susanne Fricke
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rosa J Seinsche
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Onno Kruse
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Phillips University Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Andrea Hermann
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Phillips University Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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40
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Lam CL, Wong CH, Junghöfer M, Roesmann K. Implicit threat learning involves the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100357. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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41
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Li W, Keil A. Sensing fear: fast and precise threat evaluation in human sensory cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:341-352. [PMID: 36732175 PMCID: PMC10023404 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Animal models of threat processing have evolved beyond the amygdala to incorporate a distributed neural network. In human research, evidence has intensified in recent years to challenge the canonical threat circuitry centered on the amygdala, urging revision of threat conceptualization. A strong surge of research into threat processing in the sensory cortex in the past decade has generated particularly useful insights to inform the reconceptualization. Here, synthesizing findings from both animal and human research, we highlight sensitive, specific, and adaptable threat representations in the sensory cortex, arising from experience-based sculpting of sensory coding networks. We thus propose that the human sensory cortex can drive smart (fast and precise) threat evaluation, producing threat-imbued sensory afferents to elicit network-wide threat responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Li
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
| | - Andreas Keil
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainsville, FL, USA
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42
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Feng P, Becker B, Zhou F, Feng T, Chen Z. Sleep deprivation altered encoding of basolateral amygdala on fear acquisition. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2655-2668. [PMID: 35699604 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep deprivation (SD) may lead to the development of fear- and anxiety-related emotional disorders. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of SD on fear acquisition are unclear. Here, we tested whether and how SD influences the behavioral and neural manifestations of fear acquisition. We found that subjective fear ratings and objective fear indices (skin conductance response [SCR]) in the SD group were greater than those in the control group during fear acquisition, suggesting that SD facilitated fear acquisition (nSD = 18 and ncontrol = 23 for self-reported rating analysis; nSD = 10 and ncontrol = 10 for SCR analysis). Neuroimaging data showed that the SD group exhibited stronger activity in the left basolateral amygdala (BLA) and left superficial amygdala (SFA). Moreover, the left BLA activity, which positively correlated with the objective fear indices, significantly mediated the effect of SD on fear acquisition. Together, the present findings indicate that SD facilitates fear acquisition by augmenting threat-specific encoding in the BLA, which may be a potential biomarker of the risk of developing fear-related disorders under traumatic and distressing situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Feng
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Tingyong Feng
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhiyi Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
- Department of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400000, China
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Yirmiya R. The inflamed brain preserves neural traces of conditioned aversive interoceptive stimuli: Implications for psychopathology. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 109:188-189. [PMID: 36720292 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Raz Yirmiya
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
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Zaizar ED, Papini S, Gonzalez-Lima F, Telch MJ. Singular and combined effects of transcranial infrared laser stimulation and exposure therapy on pathological fear: a randomized clinical trial. Psychol Med 2023; 53:908-917. [PMID: 34284836 PMCID: PMC9976021 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721002270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical findings suggest that transcranial infrared laser stimulation (TILS) improves fear extinction learning and cognitive function by enhancing prefrontal cortex (PFC) oxygen metabolism. These findings prompted our investigation of treating pathological fear using this non-invasive stimulation approach either alone to the dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC), or to the ventromedial PFC (vmPFC) in combination with exposure therapy. METHODS Volunteers with pathological fear of either enclosed spaces, contamination, public speaking, or anxiety-related bodily sensations were recruited for this randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled trial with four arms: (a) Exposure + TILS_vmPFC (n = 29), (b) Exposure + sham TILS_vmPFC (n = 29), (c) TILS_dlPFC alone (n = 26), or (d) Sham TILS _dlPFC alone (n = 28). Post-treatment assessments occurred immediately following treatment. Follow-up assessments occurred 2 weeks after treatment. RESULTS A total of 112 participants were randomized [age range: 18-63 years; 96 females (85.71%)]. Significant interactions of Group × Time and Group × Context indicated differential treatment effects on retention (i.e. between time-points, averaged across contexts) and on generalization (i.e. between contexts, averaged across time-points), respectively. Among the monotherapies, TILS_dlPFC outperformed SHAM_dlPFC in the initial context, b = -13.44, 95% CI (-25.73 to -1.15), p = 0.03. Among the combined treatments, differences between EX + TILS_vmPFC and EX + SHAM_vmPFC were non-significant across all contrasts. CONCLUSIONS TILS to the dlPFC, one of the PFC regions implicated in emotion regulation, resulted in a context-specific benefit as a monotherapy for reducing fear. Contrary to prediction, TILS to the vmPFC, a region implicated in fear extinction memory consolidation, did not enhance exposure therapy outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D. Zaizar
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Institute for Mental Health Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Santiago Papini
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Institute for Mental Health Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - F. Gonzalez-Lima
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Michael J. Telch
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Institute for Mental Health Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Inflammation shapes neural processing of interoceptive fear predictors during extinction learning in healthy humans. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 108:328-339. [PMID: 36535608 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation could impact on the formation and persistence of interoceptive fear and hypervigilance, with relevance to psychiatric disorders and chronic pain. To systematically analyze effects of inflammation on fear learning and extinction, we performed two complementary randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies combining experimental endotoxemia as a translational model of acute systemic inflammation with a two-day multiple-threat fear conditioning paradigm involving interoceptive and exteroceptive unconditioned stimuli (US). Healthy volunteers (N = 95) were randomized to receive intravenous injections of either endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS; 0.4 ng/kg) or placebo prior to fear acquisition (study 1) or extinction training (study2). Treatment effects on behavioral and neural responses to conditioned stimuli (CS) predicting interoceptive or exteroceptive threat were assessed during fear learning and extinction phases, along with US valence ratings. Despite robust inflammatory and emotional responses triggered by LPS, no direct effects of inflammation on US ratings or on the formation or extinction of conditioned fear, as assessed with CS valence ratings, were observed. However, in the group treated with LPS prior to acquisition (i.e., study 1), we found enhanced neural responses to the interoceptive but not the exteroceptive CS in key regions of the central fear circuitry during extinction learning. After extinction, this group further showed enhanced negative valence ratings selectively for the interoceptive US during unexpected US re-exposure when compared to the placebo group. Together, inflammation during fear acquisition may promote the establishment of a more robust neural signature of the interoceptive fear memory trace, which may contribute to altered interoceptive pain perception. The fear extinction circuitry engaged during interoceptive fear memory processing may be particularly vulnerable to inflammation, with transdiagnostic implications for gut-brain mechanisms underlying disturbed interoception in psychiatric conditions and chronic visceral pain.
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Lee D, Guiomar R, Gonçalves ÓF, Almeida J, Ganho-Ávila A. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on neural activity and functional connectivity during fear extinction. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100342. [PMID: 36299490 PMCID: PMC9578989 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Objective Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and negatively impact daily functioning and quality of life. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), especially in the right hemisphere impacts extinction learning; however, the underlying neural mechanisms are elusive. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of cathodal tDCS stimulation to the right dlPFC on neural activity and connectivity patterns during delayed fear extinction in healthy participants. Methods We conducted a two-day fear conditioning and extinction procedure. On the first day, we collected fear-related self-reports, clinical questionnaires, and skin conductance responses during fear acquisition. On the second day, participants in the tDCS group (n = 16) received 20-min offline tDCS before fMRI and then completed the fear extinction session during fMRI. Participants in the control group (n = 18) skipped tDCS and directly underwent fMRI to complete the fear extinction procedure. Whole-brain searchlight classification and resting-state functional connectivity analyses were performed. Results Whole-brain searchlight classification during fear extinction showed higher classification accuracy of threat and safe cues in the left anterior dorsal and ventral insulae and hippocampus in the tDCS group than in the control group. Functional connectivity derived from the insula with the dlPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and inferior parietal lobule was increased after tDCS. Conclusion tDCS over the right dlPFC may function as a primer for information exchange among distally connected areas, thereby increasing stimulus discrimination. The current study did not include a sham group, and one participant of the control group was not randomized. Therefore, to address potential allocation bias, findings should be confirmed in the future with a fully randomized and sham controlled study.
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Key Words
- ACC, anterior cingulate cortex
- CS, conditioned stimulus
- EPI, echo-planar imaging
- FOV, field of view
- Fear extinction
- GLM, general linear model
- HC, hippocampus
- IPL, inferior parietal lobule
- PFC, prefrontal cortex
- Resting-state functional connectivity
- SCR, skin conductance response
- TE, echo time
- TR, repetition time
- US, unconditioned stimulus
- Whole-brain searchlight classification
- dAI, dorsal anterior insula
- dlPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging
- tDCS
- tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation
- vAI, ventral anterior insula
- vmPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongha Lee
- Cognitive Science Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, 61 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, Republic of Korea,Corresponding author at: Cognitive Science Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, 61 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, Republic of Korea 41062.
| | - Raquel Guiomar
- Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo 3000-115, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Óscar F. Gonçalves
- Proaction Laboratory, Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo 3001-802 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jorge Almeida
- Proaction Laboratory, Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo 3001-802 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana Ganho-Ávila
- Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo 3000-115, Coimbra, Portugal,Corresponding author at: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal.
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Newsome P, Ruiz SG, Gold AL, Pine DS, Abend R. Fear-potentiated startle reveals diminished threat extinction in pathological anxiety. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 183:81-91. [PMID: 36442665 PMCID: PMC9812922 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major theories propose that perturbed threat learning is central to pathological anxiety, but empirical support is inconsistent. Failures to detect associations with anxiety may reflect limitations in quantifying conditioned responses to anticipated threat, and hinder translation of theory into empirical work. In prior work, we could not detect threat-specific anxiety effects on states of conditioned threat using psychophysiology in a large sample of patients and healthy comparisons. Here, we examine the utility of an alternative fear potentiated startle (FPS) scoring in revealing associations between anxiety and threat conditioning and extinction in this dataset. Secondary analyses further explored associations among conditioned threat responses, subcortical morphometry, and treatment outcomes. METHODS Youths and adults with anxiety disorders and healthy comparisons (n = 306; 178 female participants; 8-50 years) previously completed a well-validated differential threat learning paradigm. FPS and skin conductance response (SCR) quantified psychophysiological responses during threat conditioning and extinction. In this report, we examined normalizing raw FPS scores to intertrial intervals (ITI) to address challenges in more common approaches to FPS scoring which could mask group effects. Secondary analyses examined associations between FPS and subcortical morphometry and with response to exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy in a subsample of patients. RESULTS Patients and comparisons showed comparable differential threat conditioning using FPS and SCR. While SCR suggested comparable extinction between groups, FPS revealed stronger retention of threat contingency during extinction in individuals with anxiety disorders. Extinction indexed with FPS was not associated with age, morphometry, or anxiety treatment outcome. CONCLUSION ITI-normalized FPS may have utility in detecting difficulties in extinguishing conditioned threat responses in anxiety. These findings provide support for extinction theories of anxiety and encourage continued research on aberrant extinction in pathological anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Newsome
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sonia G Ruiz
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Andrea L Gold
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rany Abend
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Israel.
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Peng Y, Knotts JD, Young KS, Bookheimer SY, Nusslock R, Zinbarg RE, Kelley NJ, Echiverri-Cohen AM, Craske MG. Threat Neurocircuitry Predicts the Development of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in a Longitudinal Study. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:102-110. [PMID: 35031524 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Owing to high heterogeneity and comorbidity, the shared and unique neural mechanisms underlying the development of anxiety and major depressive disorders remain unclear. Using a dimensional model describing shared versus unique symptoms associated with anxiety and depression, this study investigated how longitudinal changes in symptom dimensions relate to threat neurocircuitry. METHODS Participants were 18- to 19-year-olds (N = 279, 186 females) who completed self-report measures of anxiety and depression at baseline and at 10, 20, and 30 months. Linear slopes of symptom dimensions of general distress, fear, and anhedonia-apprehension were estimated through a trilevel factorial model. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained while participants performed Pavlovian fear conditioning tasks at baseline and 30 months, including three phases of fear acquisition, extinction, and extinction recall. Neural responses in regions of interest related to threat neural circuitry (e.g., amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex) were extracted. RESULTS Linear mixed models used to estimate relationships between changes of symptom dimensions and neural responses revealed two major findings: 1) greater neural responses to threatening stimuli during fear acquisition at baseline were associated with a greater increase in fear symptoms during the 30-month prospective period; and 2) elevated neural responses to the extinguished stimulus during extinction recall at 30 months were negatively associated with changes in general distress, suggesting that greater increases in general distress are associated with larger deficits in extinction memory. CONCLUSIONS These findings improve our understanding of pathophysiological pathways underlying the development of anxiety and depression, while separating symptom dimensions that are shared versus unique between the two disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Peng
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China; Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Peking University, Beijing, China; Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jeffrey D Knotts
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Katherine S Young
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Social, Genetic and Development Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Y Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Richard E Zinbarg
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Nicholas J Kelley
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
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Webler RD, Oathes DJ, van Rooij SJH, Gewirtz JC, Nahas Z, Lissek SM, Widge AS. Causally mapping human threat extinction relevant circuits with depolarizing brain stimulation methods. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:105005. [PMID: 36549377 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Laboratory threat extinction paradigms and exposure-based therapy both involve repeated, safe confrontation with stimuli previously experienced as threatening. This fundamental procedural overlap supports laboratory threat extinction as a compelling analogue of exposure-based therapy. Threat extinction impairments have been detected in clinical anxiety and may contribute to exposure-based therapy non-response and relapse. However, efforts to improve exposure outcomes using techniques that boost extinction - primarily rodent extinction - have largely failed to date, potentially due to fundamental differences between rodent and human neurobiology. In this review, we articulate a comprehensive pre-clinical human research agenda designed to overcome these failures. We describe how connectivity guided depolarizing brain stimulation methods (i.e., TMS and DBS) can be applied concurrently with threat extinction and dual threat reconsolidation-extinction paradigms to causally map human extinction relevant circuits and inform the optimal integration of these methods with exposure-based therapy. We highlight candidate targets including the amygdala, hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and mesolimbic structures, and propose hypotheses about how stimulation delivered at specific learning phases could strengthen threat extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Webler
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Desmond J Oathes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jonathan C Gewirtz
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, AZ, USA
| | - Ziad Nahas
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, AZ, USA
| | - Shmuel M Lissek
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Alik S Widge
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Discovery Team on Addictions, University of Minnesota Medical School, MN, USA
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50
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LaBar KS. Neuroimaging of Fear Extinction. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:79-101. [PMID: 37455302 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Extinguishing fear and defensive responses to environmental threats when they are no longer warranted is a critical learning ability that can promote healthy self-regulation and, ultimately, reduce susceptibility to or maintenance of affective-, trauma-, stressor-,and anxiety-related disorders. Neuroimaging tools provide an important means to uncover the neural mechanisms of effective extinction learning that, in turn, can abate the return of fear. Here I review the promises and pitfalls of functional neuroimaging as a method to investigate fear extinction circuitry in the healthy human brain. I discuss the extent to which neuroimaging has validated the core circuits implicated in rodent models and has expanded the scope of the brain regions implicated in extinction processes. Finally, I present new advances made possible by multivariate data analysis tools that yield more refined insights into the brain-behavior relationships involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin S LaBar
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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